ALEXANDRIA, Va.—As a part of The Vision Council’s new effort to educate officials with jurisdiction over key federal and state issues of concern to the optical industry, the organization arranged two meetings last month with California congressmen.

On April 23, Congressman Scott Peters (D-CA 52nd District) toured the Shamir Insight headquarters in San Diego with Raanan Naftalovich, CEO of Shamir Insight and chairman of The Vision Council Board of Directors.

A week later, Congressman Eric Swalwell (D-CA 15th District) toured the California Accessories facility in Hayward, Calif., accompanied by the company’s president and CEO, Fredric Grethel, who serves as vice chair of The Vision Council’s Sunglass and Reader Division. Grethel addressed the issue of the Port of Oakland with Rep. Swalwell, and the effects of those issues not only for the optical industry but also for all industries with products that enter the Port.

Both meetings included an overview of the optical manufacturing industry, meetings with each organization’s senior executives, and discussions regarding the challenges facing the optical industry and its ports of entry in California.

California has been the focus of an increasing amount of time and resources from The Vision Council over the last year, including recent meetings with the Office of California Governor Jerry Brown regarding California Proposition 65, and the prevention of its unintended consequences for the optical manufacturing industry.

The meetings came as a follow-up from meetings held in December 2013 between The Vision Council leadership and members of Congress on Capitol Hill.